Former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion BJ Penn has traveled to Utah after the UFC insisted on enlisting the service of famed eye surgeon, Dr. Alan Crandall, to repair a damaged eye suffering from cataracts.

The Surgeon, based in Salt Lake City, is best known for his work with Boxing Champion Antonio Margarito and successfully completed the only eye repair surgery on a high profile fighter of this kind to pass through an athletic commissions test for licensure.

For Penn, this is a step in recovery that is long overdue. After attempting to solve the issue with numerous bouts of non-invasive procedures the former UFC champion decided that surgery was the only course of action to insure a proper recovery.

“I got a cataract in my left eye and I’m heading out to do see Dr. Crandall”, disclosed the former UFC Champion. “He is the guy that did Margarito’s eye and the UFC set this up for me.”

For the proud Hawaiian surgery is rarely an option but as Penn explained, this has been an ongoing issue for more than a year.

“January of last year is when I first noticed there was a problem”, said Penn. “I was looking at my iPhone and I really couldn’t tell what was going on. At first, I thought I tore my retina, so I went to my doctor and he said, ‘I can see right away what the problem is, you have a cataract’. The doctor told me it could be traumatic or it could be from this medicine I was taking called Prednisone, which is what I had been using over the previous few years for sinus infections.”

After dropping his last two performances to Nick Diaz and Rory MacDonald many have wondered if the former champion would return to action. For Penn that question has been one he’s been very hesitant to answer.

I had the same surgery, recovery is fairly simple and quick. Only problem is you've got 1 eye you can't see shit up close with unless you've got glasses to balance it out. Diaz and Rory busted up that same eye, I doubt he'll fight again anyway.

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